Egyptian Religion and mummification

Introduction

There are many important ideas to learn from the Egyptians. Just like Christianity is important to many of us, religion is very important to the Egyptians. Just like Christians, ancient Egyptians also believed in Life after death. Mummification was a part of their belief in life after death. So in my paper, I want to write about religion and mummification.

Religion

Ancient Egyptian religion believed in many gods and goddesses. Some gods and goddesses were Seth - god of destruction, Anubis – god of mummification, Ra – the sun god, Maat – goddess of truth of heart . The Egyptians had more than 2000 gods or goddesses ! The Egyptians had many priests to honor the gods and goddesses. They believed that the gods were related so that we can make some of their family trees . Like Christians they had many priest. Unlike Christians they had a different god for every thing they did.

Religion was an important part of Egyptian life. They relied on it greatly. For example, they believed Anibus helped them do mummification. The Egyptians believed that Nut swallowed the Ra, sun god, every evening and gave birth to him again every morning. I think they were afraid of he was the god of chaos who murdered Osiris, his brother. When ancient Egyptians had to write anything, they got help from Thoth who gave them hieroglyphics . So whenever they turned around to do anything, their was a god for it. I do not know if anyone believes in the ancient Egyptian gods or goddesses today, but many people do study them.

Mummification

Mummification was a part of their religion. Some of them believed mummification was a window to the afterlife. Only royal family members were mummified. At first they buried people in the sand which preserved them very well. Next they buried the dead in coffins, but then they decayed. Mummification was developed to preserve the dead in a coffin . When dead people were buried in the sand, their bodies were in a bowed position or curled up. By the time they were masking mummies, the dead were made to lie down flat. The reason why possessions were buried with mummies was because they thought they would need them in the afterlife. Ancient Egyptians liked to mummify royal family members using ideas that developed over a long period of time.

The word, “mummy” is actually a mistake. It is an Arabic word that describes a body preserved with wax or bitumen. But mummies were made that way . To make mummies they would stick a long hook up the nose to mash up the brain and pull it out. They thought the brain was of little value which was why it was removed. They would chemicals to dissolve the part of the brain they could not get out. Next they would cut them open and remove all organs except for the heart, because it was believed to be needed in the Hall of Maat. They did not understand body parts the same way we do.

Today we know more about how the body decays after death. Studying mummification today helps us understand how people think about the dead. We know that people did not always understand what the organs of the body are for. Human biology has come a long way.

Conclusion

Learning about the gods and goddesses was fun. I do not want to be mummified. Ancient Egypt was a long time ago, but they had a highly developed traditions.

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